With the weather getting chillier, we see less shows, but that doesn’t mean the music season is over. October was a busy start to the fall here in Denver with Halloween weekend being by far the busiest weekend I have seen since the summer! Some of the best DJ’s (in my opinion) came to Denver in October, so I knew I had to go see as many as I could. November was also one for the books as it helped round out 2022. Red Rocks ends its season halfway through November, but it was already snowing by then. Copious amounts of dancing happened to stay warm those last few weeks at the rocks, but here is a synopsis of my personal experience in the fall music scene here in Denver
October
Starting off the month, I was able to see one of my favorites, Fred Again…. His showproduction is minimal, but the experience is maximal happiness and lots of dancing. Fred creates music from encounters in his “Actual Life” and he doesn’t stigmatize mental illness but embraces it. His live show comes with visuals that are videos shaped like a phone screen from real life scenarios. He uses clips from those personal videos to create music. He also remixes things such as Delilah Montagu’s song ‘Lost Keys’ and Sabrina Benaim’s speech ‘Explaining Depression to My Mother’. Fred turns these into a song you can’t help but groove to even when the song is about not wanting to be in the club anymore. I can’t wait to see him play larger scale venues in years to come because Mission Ballroom was too crowded!
Louis the Child came to Red Rocks for back to back nights and a set at the Church nightclub. I was even able to meet them at a pop-up merch store and get them to sign a t-shirt earlier that week. One of the best things about a Louis the Child show is that they open for themselves with a Playground Set where they play whatever they choose.
In a single day, I saw their opening set, regular show, and then their new Black Marble set at the Church afterparty. My favorite had to be the Playground Set because it was an “anything goes” ordeal and not a lot of people knew they were opening, so the amphitheater wasn’t even half full since the doors had just opened. The Black Marble set was incredible and is their new tape with 17 tracks which they debuted that night. The after party sold out quick and was the most crowded I had ever seen the Church.
Halloween Weekend
Halloween weekend was extremely busy here in Denver. We had a variety of artists and it was extremely difficult to decide which shows to attend, but I ended up going to Rezz, John Summit, and GRiZ. Just so happen, these are 3 of my favorite DJs.
Rezz preformed her Nightmare on Rezz Street set (click to watch the full show) to start off Halloween weekend on Thursday with two nights at Red Rocks.It snowed that morning, so it was a chilly night.
I bought tickets in the reserved section and it felt like I was physically in her show with how close we were and how the videos were somewhat 3D as well with her platform enhancing it. Her production is always next level, but this was extremely different than anything I have ever seen. I saw her this past Summer at Bonnaroo, so it was amazing to see the diversity of her performance. During this specific show, she had videos from The Shining along with original videos. These all went along with the Nightmare on Rezz Street II mix that she played in its entirely along with her other hits.The visuals gave the perfect level of horror for a Halloween show, but not too scary, just mesmerizing. She is my favorite female DJ and always knows how to entertain a crowd.
John Summit sold out Mission Ballroom on Friday of Halloween weekend, and he was a perfect house show between Rezz and GRiZ. He brought a perfect variety of EDM along with ending his show with a Taylor Swift song – Love Story. He played half his own hits such as In Chicago, La Danza, and Human and half remixes of other’s songs such as Sofi Tukker, Michael Jackson, and Bad Bunny. One of my favorite moments of his show was during What a Life where everyone was jumping, hugging, and dancing. It was truly a fun show and I am eager to see what he has in store for his Red Rocks show next May.
GRiZ had his yearly Another World two-night show this weekend, and I opted to go Saturday. It was 1st Bank Center for a n immersive 360 Experience (cover photo) and sax-y dubstep. The performances were impeccable and the show was massive scale with performances by singer Chrishira Perrier and a set of horn players while GRiZ played the saxophone himself.
GRiZ is all about showing love and spreading love, so the crowd was top-tier and the friendliest of any crowd I have ever been in. The vibes were funky and everyone was dressed in costumes including the performers. I will never miss a GRiZ show and I cannot wait to see him at Decadence this NYE.
November
Last minute, I decided to go to Slander at Red Rocks because a friend gave me his ticket (thank you Tim!) and I am so glad I went. I had heard a few Slander songs beforehand, but their show turned me into a Slander fan! We were in the reserved area so there was plenty of room to dance and stay warm. Pyrotechnics, lasers, and anime visuals were perfectly paired with music that had your emotions all over the place. It went from upbeat to slow in a matter of seconds but the energy was always unmatched. They ended the show by playing a techno song “Before Dawn” they are experimenting with. It was unexpected but changed the atmosphere for a few minutes which was refreshing. I can’t wait to see Slander again when they come to town next.
Liquid Stranger hosted three nights of three different sets at Mission Ballroom and they all brought something different to the mix. Night 1 on Thursday was a throwback set and he played music he released in the early days. The group I was withbrought some of the best vibes and that can always make or break a music experience. We ended up on the barricade for the entire LS set and I couldn’t feel my legs afterwards from dancing. Friday night LS had a DownTempo set, but I was at another show that night (Disco Lines). Saturday night was the full Bass show and LS brought the house down. The bass was so loud my earplugs were sliding out of my ears. Wakaan brought their own lasers and sound system so this was unlike anything I had ever heard before. In my opinion, the best night in my opinion was N1 because the true fans were there and PLUR was alive and well.
Disco Lines came to Ogden Theatre for a homecoming show and completely sold it out. I saw him open for Zedd at Red Rocks a few months back and he has blown up online since. With a few songs that went popular on Tik Tok, the crowd ended up being very young. We started in the pit and slowly made our way up top with a much more chill and less pushy crowd. Thad played all of his popular songs such as Baby Girl and Techno + Techila and even threw in some remixes of Mau P, Taylor Swift, and Fisher. I will catch another show of his next year with one for certain being at Electric Forest.
Special Acknowledgements:
A few DJs I enjoyed this fall that were opening acts at shows are the following: Joy Anonymous, Rome in Silver, Rossy, Wreckno, Londen Summers, TVBoo, Drink UR Water, Sully, Kill the Noise, Jantsen, and Zeke Beats.
All of them brought the same energy as a main act and I would see all of them again!
